Written Answers Wednesday 30 July 2008

Scottish Executive

Bridges

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what change there has been in the volume of traffic across the Forth and Tay road bridges since the abolition of tolls.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13873 on 18 June 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Community Safety

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been issued with fines for vandalism in each year since 1997 and how many, and what proportion of, such fines have been paid, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Fergus Ewing: The available information is given in the following table, the number of unpaid fines is not held centrally. Information by parliamentary constituency is not available.

  Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Vandalism1 where the Main Penalty was a Court Fine, by Approximate Local Authority Area2, 1997-98 to 2006-07

  

 Local Authority
 1997-98
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04


 Aberdeen City 
 142
 131
 130
 125
 107
 87
 95


 Aberdeenshire 
 119
 107
 96
 120
 86
 99
 79


 Angus 
 80
 82
 65
 76
 72
 75
 118


 Argyll and Bute 
 46
 50
 31
 32
 38
 55
 44


 Clackmannanshire 
 51
 46
 26
 45
 59
 33
 60


 Dumfries and Galloway
 81
 78
 68
 80
 51
 74
 84


 Dundee City 
 83
 62
 81
 105
 77
 67
 101


 East Ayrshire 
 79
 93
 73
 65
 77
 74
 96


 East Dunbartonshire
 17
 16
 10
 14
 8
 13
 9


 East Lothian 
 34
 30
 35
 31
 27
 48
 35


 East Renfrewshire 
 8
 14
 2
 4
 6
 25
 6


 Edinburgh, City of 
 192
 181
 135
 164
 152
 131
 105


 Eilean Siar 
 21
 21
 10
 14
 8
 6
 12


 Falkirk 
 109
 83
 84
 79
 96
 98
 114


 Fife 
 231
 198
 187
 170
 198
 129
 196


 Glasgow City 
 343
 325
 211
 176
 216
 194
 220


 Highland 
 151
 135
 140
 123
 121
 155
 170


 Inverclyde 
 33
 21
 18
 24
 15
 22
 32


 Midlothian 
 50
 30
 24
 18
 28
 27
 20


 Moray 
 73
 72
 52
 43
 59
 42
 69


 North Ayrshire 
 45
 53
 47
 51
 41
 51
 68


 North Lanarkshire 
 151
 134
 105
 129
 115
 94
 86


 Orkney Islands 
 10
 11
 4
 13
 8
 8
 12


 Perth and Kinross 
 70
 70
 62
 61
 63
 53
 65


 Renfrewshire 
 85
 54
 58
 63
 56
 75
 44


 Scottish Borders 
 42
 39
 37
 32
 68
 57
 63


 Shetland Islands 
 11
 5
 17
 7
 8
 11
 15


 South Ayrshire 
 80
 75
 55
 76
 58
 66
 88


 South Lanarkshire 
 127
 120
 100
 98
 110
 97
 102


 Stirling 
 65
 47
 55
 62
 42
 59
 68


 West Dunbartonshire
 47
 25
 42
 29
 30
 41
 38


 West Lothian 
 119
 95
 95
 79
 77
 64
 46


 Scotland3
 2,795
 2,503
 2,155
 2,208
 2,177
 2,131
 2,360



  

 Local Authority
 2004-05
 2005-06
 2006-07


 Aberdeen City 
 84
 112
 120


 Aberdeenshire 
 88
 107
 101


 Angus 
 70
 67
 59


 Argyll and Bute 
 39
 31
 13


 Clackmannanshire 
 54
 66
 68


 Dumfries and Galloway
 97
 91
 95


 Dundee City 
 91
 81
 71


 East Ayrshire 
 116
 83
 100


 East Dunbartonshire
 10
 4
 -


 East Lothian 
 30
 22
 50


 East Renfrewshire 
 6
 2
 3


 Edinburgh, City of 
 134
 124
 135


 Eilean Siar 
 9
 27
 16


 Falkirk 
 107
 114
 122


 Fife 
 199
 232
 236


 Glasgow City 
 240
 272
 299


 Highland 
 167
 126
 149


 Inverclyde 
 25
 9
 11


 Midlothian 
 40
 23
 36


 Moray 
 39
 50
 56


 North Ayrshire 
 55
 57
 52


 North Lanarkshire 
 92
 75
 103


 Orkney Islands 
 6
 4
 2


 Perth and Kinross 
 60
 69
 44


 Renfrewshire 
 72
 58
 54


 Scottish Borders 
 82
 137
 116


 Shetland Islands 
 8
 12
 6


 South Ayrshire 
 71
 62
 86


 South Lanarkshire 
 121
 103
 98


 Stirling 
 64
 47
 63


 West Dunbartonshire
 42
 35
 41


 West Lothian 
 65
 62
 55


 Scotland3
 2,383
 2,364
 2,460



  Notes:

  1. Where main offence under the Scottish Government Justice Department Crime Codes is Vandalism, malicious damage and malicious mischief.

  2. Incorporates an approximate mapping of sheriff courts into local authority areas. Some sheriff courts will deal with cases from more than one local authority area and some local authority areas do not contain a sheriff court.

  3. May contain a small number of cases where the local authority area is unknown.

  Fixed penalty notice fines are also issued by the police under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 for a range of offences, including vandalism. The information requested, however, is not held centrally in relation to these fines.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of reaching the target of zero delayed discharges by April 2008, whether targets on delayed discharges will be included in all local authority single outcome agreements.

Shona Robison: Single outcome agreements will reflect the priorities of the local authority and under a common framework of national outcomes and indicators, local outcomes will take account of these priorities. Within the set of local indicators which local authorities can select from, community care retains coverage through a single overarching indicator, which is underpinned by four community care outcomes and 16 supporting measures, one of which is to sustain the position on delayed discharges. This suite of 16 measures is being promoted as the recommended set of performance management indicators for community care and local authorities have been encouraged to include these during the course of negotiating agreements with central government.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to augmenting the targets for delayed discharge to ensure that the number of beds blocked at any one time is kept to a minimum.

Shona Robison: The targets to reduce to zero the number of patients delayed outwith the six week discharge planning period and to have no-one delayed in short-stay specialties have now become standards that we expect local authority/NHS partnerships to deliver at all times.

  Six weeks is the agreed maximum timescale to complete patients’ discharge. However, discharge should take place as soon as it is safe and appropriate after treatment is complete.

Parliamentary Questions

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) parliamentary questions and (b) letters to the First Minister and the Cabinet issued by MSPs in the current parliamentary session remain unanswered, broken down into those which are (i) one month overdue, (ii) two months overdue, (iii) three months overdue, (iv) four months overdue and (v) over six months overdue and by recipient.

Bruce Crawford: Cabinet Secretaries and ministers have received 15,614 parliamentary questions since 1 May 2007 and 11 questions fall into the category of being one month or more overdue.

  

 Cabinet Secretary/Minister
 Total PQs Received May 2007 to June 2008
 Number of Overdue Cases


 1 Month
 2 Months
 3 Months
 4 Months
 5 Months
 6 Months


 Jim Mather
 891
 2
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 John Swinney
 1,626
 6
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Maureen Watt
 652
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Stewart Stevenson
 2,130
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0



  Cabinet Secretaries and ministers have received 10,581 items of ministerial correspondence since 1 May 2007 and five replies to letters fall into the category of being one month or more overdue.

  

 Cabinet Secretary/Minister
 Total Letters Received for Ministerial Reply since May 2007
 Number of Overdue Cases


 1 month
 2 months
 3 months
 4 months
 5 months
 6 months


 Bruce Crawford
 14
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Kenny MacAskill
 944
 2
 1
 1
 0
 0
 0

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the number of police officers eligible to retire from the service when developing its police workforce planning policy.

Kenny MacAskill: Workforce planning for the police service is a matter for individual forces and police boards.

Prison Service

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what systems are in place for managing provision for (a) women, (b) children, (c) young offenders, (d) life sentenced prisoners, (e) sex offenders and (f) foreign nationals in the prison system and who is (i) responsible and (ii) accountable for the overall direction of management in each case.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  Governance for the provision of services to prisoners is set out in the Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2006.

  Further details of the service delivery requirements for different groups of prisoners are contained in the "Service Agreements for Public Sector Prisons" and "Contracts for Private Sector Prisons and Services".

  The responsibility and accountability for the overall direction of management in each case is divided between SPS Directorates.

  The Directorates of Partnerships and Commissioning and Health and Care develop policy and direction in relation to offender management and prisoner care issues.

  Prisons Directorate has responsibility for delivery across publicly run prisons whilst the Directorate of Partnerships and Commissioning has responsibility for overseeing delivery for contracted services (HM Prison Kilmarnock and Prisoner Escort and Court Custody Services). Each prison also has responsibility for arranging the provision of services for specific prisoner group(s).

Salmon Farming

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has received about the implications for Scottish jobs of losing the minimum import price arrangements relating to Norwegian salmon; when it received any such advice, and whether it will publish it.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Executive commissioned internal economic advice in January 2008. This advice was then incorporated into a joint paper from Scotland and Ireland which was submitted to the European Commission as evidence in the interim review on 25 February 2008. A copy of this advice has been made available in the joint paper, The likely effects of removing the MIP on imports of Norwegian salmon into the EU: a paper from Scotland and Ireland , a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 46125). However, all such forecasts are merely speculative and the development of a new strategic approach involving all parts of the industry, which is presently under discussion, will, it is hoped, ameliorate the effect of the end of the present minimum import price.

Salmon Farming

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken as a result of advice on the implications of ending minimum import price arrangements and when it took such action.

Michael Russell: Following the receipt of economic advice on the implications of the repeal of the minimum import price, the Scottish Executive in conjunction with the UK Government continued to lobby the European Commission at the highest level, the need for continuation of the minimum import price (MIP).

  Following the decision by member states to repeal the MIP, I organised a "Fresh Start on Salmon" summit for the salmon production industry in Edinburgh on 10 June 2008. This event provided an opportunity to discuss the most positive way forward for the industry, particularly in light of potentially difficult trading conditions. It discussed the practical support that the Scottish Government (and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise) could provide to companies, steps to assist the industry, options for further action in Europe to safeguard Scottish interests and co-operation with other key national players with regard to issues of joint and pressing interest.

  Discussions have also taken place on securing a possible bilateral agreement on closer collaboration on areas of mutual interest between Scotland and Norway. Meetings have taken place since mid-March 2008. These discussions are on-going. These steps forward will, it is hoped, lean to a new strategic approach, involving all parts of the industry which will ameliorate the effect of the end of the MIP.

Salmon Farming

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions Scottish ministers and officials have had with Irish ministers and officials regarding the continuation of minimum import price arrangements that have protected Scottish salmon farming from the cheap importation of Norwegian farmed salmon.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has had a continuing dialogue with Irish ministers and officials throughout the period when the minimum import price has remained in place.

  Following the announcement of the commission’s interim review in March 2008, Scotland, the UK and Ireland prepared evidence to show that there was no case for a review of the measures. A joint paper was submitted to member states and the commission.

  During the interim review, our dialogue focused on the preparation of evidence to support the continuance of the minimum import price. I met the relevant fisheries minister on 23 April 2008 to discuss the matter. A joint UK and Ireland paper was also sent to the commission on 22 May 2008. From mid-April, discussions have also focused on the commission’s proposal for a special monitoring mechanism following the repeal of the measures.

Scottish Law Commission

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to implement the recommendations in the Scottish Law Commission’s Report on Conversion of Long Leases , published in 2006.

Fergus Ewing: Officials in Constitution, Law and Courts Directorate are considering the Scottish Law Commission’s Report on Conversion of Long Leases (Scot Law Com 204) and the Scottish Government will take a view in due course about the timing of any bill.

Teachers

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary to question S3O-3641 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2008 ( Official Report , c. 9393), how often the teacher employment working group will meet.

Fiona Hyslop: The teacher employment working group will meet a number of times over the summer and report to ministers thereafter.

Teachers

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary to question S3O-3641 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2008 ( Official Report , c. 9393), whether a date been set for the teacher employment working group to report to the minister.

Fiona Hyslop: No specific date has been set but the group will work over the summer and report to ministers thereafter.

Teachers

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary to question S3O-3641 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2008 ( Official Report , c. 9393), whether the minutes of the teacher employment working group will be published.

Fiona Hyslop: In order to allow a free and frank exchange of views the minutes of the teacher employment working group will not be published.

Teachers

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary to question S3O-3641 by on Fiona Hyslop 5 June 2008 ( Official Report , c. 9393), whether the conclusions of the teacher employment working group will be published.

Fiona Hyslop: : Yes.

Teachers

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary to question S3O-3641 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2008 ( Official Report , c. 9393), in what way the teacher employment working group will be accountable to the Parliament.

Fiona Hyslop: The teacher employment working group will report to ministers who are accountable to Parliament.

Teachers

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary to question S3O-3641 by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2008 ( Official Report , c. 9393), whether the minister has asked the teacher employment working group to make interim recommendations in time to support probationary teachers currently coming to the end of their induction year.

Fiona Hyslop: The remit of the teacher employment working group is:

  To assess whether the current teacher workforce planning process is fit for purpose taking account of relevant policy developments.

  To examine whether improvements can be made to maximise the compatibility between student numbers and employment opportunities for teachers.

  To consider the impact of the teacher Induction scheme on employment opportunities for teachers.

  To make recommendations for improvements in the process.

  Ministers expect the work of the group to primarily influence future teacher workforce planning exercises and the Induction scheme but if any lessons are identified for this year they will be taken into account.